By The Rev. Marek Zabriskie
Much of the world stands shocked by Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin told world leaders that he would not invade. His word is meaningless.
How should people of faith respond? Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also…” (Luke 6:27-29) Few Bible teachings are harder to follow.
Putin, however, is more than an enemy. He is a destructive threat to the world. His arsenal includes chemical, thermobaric and nuclear weapons and he is not afraid to use them even on civilians.
“Love your enemies” applies to the colleague at work who takes credit for your ideas or the neighbor who dug up your azaleas bushes and transplanted them into her yard. It works for the student who got the top score in the class by cheating or the person who posted something insidious about hurtful about you on social media.
But “love your enemies” doesn’t work for a dictator who annihilates people. Jesus is not instructing us to forgive unrepentant leader who poisons people in London and Salisbury or unleashes chemical weapons on Kurds.
When applied in the wrong way, Jesus’ words seem impractical or reckless. That’s why Martin Luther wrote a treatise depicting the two powers. The Church exists to lead humans to salvation and the State exists to insure their safety so that they can pursue salvation. The Church should not oversee State matters, nor should the State oversee the Church.
Educate yourself about the various dimensions of this war. Learn about how the Russian Orthodox Church under Patriarch Kirill has actually supported Putin during his aggression. The Orthodox Church is weak, afraid and has failed to exercise a prophetic role.
Jesus said, “If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other cheek,” he was not thinking of innocent civilians being terrorized by a tyrant. This is not what Jesus had in mind.
When a Roman soldier wanted to publicly humiliate someone, he used the backside of his right hand to slap him on the right cheek. By turning the other cheek, the soldier’s slap would miss the person’s face. Jesus was therefore teaching a non-violent form of civil disobedience.
There is a mixture of good and evil in each of us. There are many good Russians. Our enemy is Putin and his acolytes who are willing to do his dirty work while he lounges in safety.
How can we help? First, we must pray. Pray for peace and that Putin might be removed and replaced by someone who cares for humanity and has a moral compass. A nation run by thugs, oligarchs and malevolent types functions like cancer cells in the global body.
Pray for all Ukrainians as well as Russians who are risking their lives to demand that this warring madness stop. Attend a prayer vigil. Christ Episcopal Church will hold a Candlelight Prayer Vigil for Peace on Sunday, March 20 at 5 p.m. Show your solidarity and pray with others.
Send money. There are some very credible national and international organizations collecting funds to support Ukrainian refugees and civilians. Episcopal Relief and Development, CARE, UNICEF, UN High Commission on Refugees, Save the Children or World Central Kitchen, which is in Poland cooking meals for Ukrainian refugees. All of these are working to make a difference.
Look for hands on ways to help. Governor Ned Lamont has said that Connecticut will accept Ukrainian refugees. Help refugees resettle. Make a tangible difference.
Watch the news, but do not obsess. We will get through this. We have many fine people in our government and military working on this. We have excellent relationships with democratic leaders around the world. We respect NATO, and together we are building coalitions to stop Putin.
God has brought us through an unimaginable pandemic. God will help us get through this. Pray that the casualties will be as small as possible. Pray that good will overcome evil.
The road to peace requires being hard on issues and gentle on people. We are called to be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Who looking back on history would applaud those who silently watched while the Nazis took power, carried out atrocities and murdered six million Jews. We must stand strong, confront evil and defend the innocent.
